“Kylance!”

The Emperor’s thunderous voice echoed through the tent, but Kylance shouted back sharply.

“No matter how much you say it’s impossible, I will never stop searching! I will never leave Ariel alone in that cold sea! No matter what it takes, I will…”

Thwack!

Before Kylance could finish, the sharp sound of the blow echoed through the tent.

The Emperor had punched Kylance in the face. With all his might.

Kylance’s dry lips split open and his body staggered from the force.

It was the first time the Emperor had ever laid a hand on Kylance.

Since the tragic loss of his own blood relative, Arnold, the Emperor had never once scolded Kylance. 

Not that Kylance had done anything to warrant it – on the rare occasions he had made a mistake, the Emperor had always turned a blind eye. 

To the Emperor, Kylance was like a wounded finger – an ache he couldn’t ignore.

After losing his brother so tragically, the Emperor felt it was his duty to protect Kylance in his place.

But now he felt that if he didn’t act, Kylance would never come to his senses. The Emperor clenched his trembling hand into a fist, stifling the pain in his heart.

With a stern expression on his face, he spoke coldly.

“Pull yourself together. Remember that the man standing before you is the Emperor of this nation, and that you are a Grand Duke of this Empire.”

Kylance swallowed the metallic taste of blood and steadied himself, regaining his composure.

“My apologies. But Your Majesty, it’s only been ten days…”

“Ten days is plenty of time. If she were alive, she would have been found by now. And if her body remained, it would have surfaced long ago.”

“…”

The Emperor’s words were true. But… Kylance bit his lip hard, his emotions overwhelming him. Just then, the Emperor, now speaking in a calmer tone, called his name.

“Kylance.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Lady Blante was someone you cast aside with your own hands.”

“!”

“When you decided to break off the engagement, I asked you – are you sure you won’t regret it? You told me you wouldn’t. And when you revealed that the Marquis of Blante was responsible for Arnold’s death and demanded that the House of Blante be removed from the Empire, you told me you were certain there would be no turning back.”

“Your Majesty… I…”

Kylance’s expression wavered precariously, but the Emperor did not stop.

“And now, do you think you have the right to act this way? Was it not you who drove Lady Blante to the brink? Did you really not foresee such a tragic outcome? Foolishness.

“…”

Even if it was cruel, the Emperor knew that he had to destroy Kylance’s false hope. Completely. Beyond repair.

“It was you, Kylance, who pushed Lady Blante over the cliff.”

Kylance’s precarious expression finally broke and silent tears streamed down his face.

The Emperor’s heart ached, but he swallowed the heavy weight of guilt and continued to speak with cold determination.

“You have no right to act like this. Even if you regret it now, nothing will change. So stop here. Perhaps this obsession of yours, this desperate search for her, will only cause her more pain.”

‘Let her go.’

Kylance fell to his knees.

“Your Majesty…”

He reached for the hem of the Emperor’s robe, but the Emperor yanked it violently away.

“By first light you must cease your search. If you don’t, I will truly have the House of Blante destroyed for the crime of treason.”

” Annihilation…”

Kylance’s complexion turned deathly pale.

He begged desperately.

“Annihilation? Your Majesty, no, you cannot! The Marquis of Blante never conspired to commit treason. It was all fabricated by me.”

The Emperor’s cold, hardened expression broke for a moment.

The words he had just heard were utterly unbelievable.

It was shocking enough to learn that the Marquis of Blante had not plotted treason, but what truly stunned him was the last part of the statement.

Kylance had falsified the evidence?

Why

“The Marquis of Blantee orchestrated the death of my parents to make it look like a coach accident.”

The Emperor suddenly remembered Kylance’s earlier claims.

Could it be… was that why? Was Kylance targeting the Marquis of Blante… in revenge for Arnold’s death at the hands of the Marquis?

The Emperor’s head snapped towards Kylance, the sharp movement producing a small sound of disbelief. 

The Emperor pressed Kylance, his voice sharp with urgency.

“Did you really forge the evidence? The letter from the Marquis of Blante, which you claimed was conclusive proof – are you saying it wasn’t real?”

“Yes.”

The truth he had hoped was not real was now confirmed. If that was the case…

The Emperor spoke slowly, almost deliberately, in stark contrast to his earlier tone.

“…Was it because the Marquis killed Arnold? Was it revenge that drove you to do such a thing?”

“Yes… but… the Marquis was not the one who killed my parents either. Your Majesty, you were right all along. The Marquis… was not the kind of man who would do such a thing.”

“I have committed a grave sin, Your Majesty.”

Kylance bowed his head in deep shame.

“…Ha.”

The Emperor sighed and closed his eyes tightly.

What had gone wrong?

Even when it was first claimed that the Marquis of Blante had committed treason, he had had his doubts. The Marquis he knew was not someone who would ever plot rebellion. But when the Marquis took his own life just one day after the investigation began, the Emperor was consumed with rage.

To end his life without so much as a word of denial or an attempt to clear up the misunderstanding? 

It made him look as if he were truly guilty of treason.

That was why the Emperor’s anger had burned so fiercely.

Anger enough to bring down the entire House of Blante.

But when Kylance announced his decision to break off his engagement to the Lady Blante and cast her aside in a way that seemed unusually cruel, the Emperor’s reason returned.

It made him reluctant to inflict punishment. It made him consider reopening the investigation.

But then Kylance had made another terrible accusation, and at that moment the Emperor had unhesitatingly abandoned his last shred of trust in the Marquis of Blante.

After all, he had always trusted Kylance more than the Marquis.

And perhaps the Marquis, though a loyal vassal, was also a man who spoke the hard truths. The Emperor wondered if, in his pettiness, he had seen this as an opportunity to get rid of the Marquis. 

He had forgotten how devoted the Marquis had once been to Arnold. 

No matter how much time had clouded his memory, the Marquis’ loyalty should never have been forgotten. 

He should have doubted the accusations of treason from the start… If he had, might this whole tragedy have been avoided? 

The Emperor exhaled a bitter breath, weighed down by guilt and regret. 

But then a sudden suspicion flashed through his mind and he opened his eyes sharply.

He asked Kylance in a cold, chilling tone, 

“Tell me… did you also stage the suicide of the Marquis of Blante?”

If Kylance had fabricated the evidence of treason, it was quite possible. After all, the Marquis had taken his own life just one day after the investigation had begun. 

It was out of character for the Marquis.   

If Kylance had indeed been the one to kill the Marquis and disguise it as a suicide… 

The Emperor’s fingertips grew cold. If it had come to that, he wasn’t sure he could ever forgive Kylance. 

As the Emperor’s heart grew colder with fear, Kylance’s low voice broke the silence. 

“No, Your Majesty. The Marquis’ death was not my doing. I, too, was shocked when he… died suddenly.” 

“Raise your head and look at me.” 

Kylance raised his head and met the Emperor’s gaze. The Emperor scrutinised him, trying to determine if he was telling the truth. 

It wasn’t a lie. Kylance really hadn’t killed the Marquis. 

The Emperor heaved a deep, heavy sigh. 

But too much tragedy had already taken place for him to be relieved that it wasn’t an outright murder. 

Besides, falsely accusing the Marquis of treason was essentially an act that would lead to his death anyway. 

The Emperor pressed his fingers to his throbbing temples. 

What could be done to rectify this avalanche of misfortune? 

Kylance had committed a grave sin, and an entire family had been destroyed. 

With both the Marquis of Blante and his daughter – the direct heirs of the family – dead, their bloodline had been severed. 

The Emperor fell into silent contemplation, deeply weighing the truth Kylance had confessed, and what he should do about it. 

Finally, he came to a decision. 

Swallowing his bitter grief, the Emperor spoke.

“Kylance.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I have heard nothing today.”

“What?” 

Kylance looked at the Emperor with puzzled eyes, as if to ask what he meant. But the Emperor, his expression resolute, continued to speak. 

“The Marquis and Lady Blante are already dead. And I cannot abandon you. You are the only blood relative of my only sibling left.”

“Your Majesty…” 

“So I will bury everything. The Marquis of Blante will be declared innocent. The investigation will conclude that an unknown party tampered with the evidence. The House of Blante will be restored to its position as the founding family of the Empire. I will personally find a successor to their line to ensure its continuation, and I will grant them southern territories to restore their name and reputation.

“…” 

“But all this comes with a condition.” 

“A… condition?” 

As Kylance’s brow furrowed, the Emperor’s voice rang out, cold and unyielding. 

“The condition is that you cease your search at dawn and withdraw.” 

“Your Majesty, please, I beg you, not that…” 

“Enough!!”

The Emperor’s angry voice thundered through the tent.

He let out a heated breath, as if to suppress his rising rage, before speaking again.

“Kylance, do not think that I will forgive you or ignore all of this. The sin you have committed is far too great. Even if you did not kill the Marquis directly, you became the cause of his death the moment you fabricated the evidence. And without remorse, you have driven the Marquis’ daughter to despair – the very woman you once claimed to love so deeply!”

The Emperor’s face twisted with emotion, his frustration and grief evident.